The Dockers kicked 7.8 to 5.6 in the second half, but they had given the Hawks too much of a start in a tight grand final, and Hawthorn had enough in reserve to get over the line.

The game was a turnaround from the early parts of the finals series for both teams.

Hawthorn was held almost level in inside 50s and well outdone in marks inside 50, the two building blocks of the team's run to the grand final.

In contrast Fremantle was out-tackled by a fiercer Hawks outfit and beaten at the stoppages and clearances despite a monumental effort by big man Aaron Sandilands, who had 13 disposals, 44 hitouts and three clearances.

Jack Gunston showed he may well be the star of the Hawks' future rather than Lance Franklin, kicking four goals to Franklin's one in a stunning performance.

Gunston kicked three first half goals, and then kicked a vital fourth in the third quarter when Hawthorn came under pressure from the Dockers.

"I'm speechless," he said after the game.

It was a tight tussle, we got a couple of goals up, but we knew they (Dockers) were not going to go away ... This feeling, it's so much better than last year.

Hawthorn's Jack Gunston

"It was a tight tussle, we got a couple of goals up, but we knew they (Dockers) were not going to go away.

"This feeling, it's so much better than last year."

The Dockers could not reproduce the same early pressure they had used to ground Sydney in the preliminary final.

Kicking for goal was a difficult process - in the first half Fremantle had 12 shots but kicked only one goal, with five behinds and five missed efforts.

Hawthorn led by two goals at quarter time and by 23 points at the half.

The Dockers hit back in the third term, booting 5.4 to 3.3 to sow some doubt in the hearts of the Hawks.

But a couple of bad misses for Fremantle stopped the chance of an upset, and Hawthorn sealed a first premiership win since 2008.

Twelve months ago the Hawks were devastated by a 10-point loss to Sydney in the grand final.

A year on, they buried their demons in the finals series, killing off the Kennett Curse in the preliminary final against Geelong, before holding their nerve in a tough second half to redeem themselves with an 11th VFL / AFL flag.

It was a vindication for the Hawks, their coach Alastair Clarkson, and the club's recruitment policy in the wake of the loss to the Swans.

The key pick-up was Western Bulldogs defender Brian Lake, who repaid the Hawks' faith by winning the Norm Smith Medal.

Lake, who was criticised for being out of form and out of fitness at the Bulldogs, proved to be the last piece in the premiership puzzle.

He had 22 disposals, including 11 contested possessions, and 10 marks. But more importantly he took Matthew Pavlich and stopped the Dockers' captain from kicking a match-winning haul, keeping him to just three goals for the match.

After receiving the medal, Lake made clear where his feelings were over his premiership medal: "Thank you to the Hawthorn Football Club for taking me 12 months ago."

Coach Alastair Clarkson congratulated Fremantle on producing a tough contest, saying that the Hawks had "so much admiration for how you've developed over the last couple of years" and predicting big things for the Dockers.

To our Hawthorn guys, we will celebrate long and hard tonight, it was a great effort. We are a very happy team at Hawthorn.

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson

Clarkson expressed relief and joy at his side's second flag in six years before lifting the cup with captain Luke Hodge.

"To our Hawthorn guys, we will celebrate long and hard tonight, it was a great effort.

"We are a very happy team at Hawthorn."

Hawks on-baller Sam Mitchell, who had 38 disposals in the preliminary final against Geelong, was held to just 12 touches by Fremantle tagger Ryan Crowley.

But Mitchell said he knew in advance he was not going to have another day out in the grand final.

It would be nice to have three (flags), but we've got two and we'll be working hard again next year to add to it.

Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell

"Part of our mantra at our football club is to get the job done for someone else," he told Grandstand.

"That was my job today ... I'm happy to have made a contribution to help the team."

Asked whether the win made up for last year's loss, Mitchell replied: "It would be nice to have three (flags), but we've got two and we'll be working hard again next year to add to it."

Lewis erases 2012 memories

Hawthorn midfielder Jordan Lewis picked up 25 possessions and his second AFL premiership medallion on Saturday, as the memory of last year's grand final defeat remained fresh in his mind.

The Warrnambool product's 193-game career included a flag in 2008 followed by the heartbreak of losing as favourites in the 2012 grand final against Sydney.

But now, at 27, Lewis and his teammates are back on the top of the pile and already eyeing further glory.

"It's hard to describe. You feel like digging a hole and crawling into it," Lewis said when asked about the painful loss in 2012.

"Today just washes it all away. I feel good."

Lewis hinted he will appreciate this premiership more than his first.

That feeling of this time last year is still pretty vivid for a lot of the guys and we weren't prepared to go through that again.

Brad Sewell

"The 2008 grand final, it came a little bit soon," said Lewis, who made his debut in 2005.

"At least with this, you can sit back and really enjoy it and just soak it all up.

"Especially after losing last year, those memories were still there so it's just perfect."

The critics went after the Hawks after their runners-up finish in 2012.

A second flag under coach Alastair Clarkson means football historians will eventually have to make a judgement on how this line-up stacks up against other great sides in history.

"It's hard to say what they'll write," Lewis says.

"We had adversity last year. To come back shows resilience from the group.

"To lose to Geelong so many times and win last week (in the preliminary final), I don't know what the history will say but two premierships ... hopefully we've got many more to come."

Fellow dual premiership player Brad Sewell, dropped mid-season for one game, was also able to reflect upon the feelings of a year ago.

"There's no doubt it was always there. It was never really spoken about," he said.

"That feeling of this time last year is still pretty vivid for a lot of the guys and we weren't prepared to go through that again."